Mobile Suit Gundam: Little Angel
by Wolfboywarrior
Summary: As the One Year War approaches its turning point climax. A little girl born within the cold eyes of Zeon spacenoid science must search for answers at being truly human. As she finds a haven among the enemy she was created to destroy. She must struggle to protect the only real family she knows. Will she survive the One Year War? Rated M because...war is hell...
1. Chapter 1: A Troublesome girl

_ It is the year Universal Century 0079. All-out war has broken out with the Earth forces of the Federation and the spacenoid colonists of the Principality of Zeon. Both sides have already taken heavy losses, despite this, Zeon continues to barrel down upon the Earth itself. It isn't long before Zeon smashes its way through the space fleets of the Federation and invades the planet thanks to the invention of humanoid weapons known as Mobile Suits. The death toll continues to climb as Zeon forces manage to conquer a substantial amount of the globe as they search for the main Federation headquarters of Jaburo. However, back in space Zeon scientists have already begun intensive research into special human beings known as Newtypes. As this story begins in a far off top secret lab headed by the Flanagan Institute of the colony cluster Side 6, where a troublesome child would soon become a hero as she searched for answers to her own questions to her existence… _

"Doctor this really isn't necessary! I promise I won't leave the pod again! I promise I promise!" A little girl cried as she struggled in the grip of the soldiers at her sides while being escorted through one of the stations many corridors back towards the labs where her "bed" was. This child was no ordinary girl however, her skin was of a creamy pale white, her eyes were of a mystifying azure color, and her long fluffy dark brown hair lay almost frazzled over the towel and lab gown that barely covered her body. This made many of the soldiers around her uncomfortable as despite the girl's physical tender age of 10 years old. Her beauty was that of a young woman.

"Quiet already Cecil! You already said that the last time and the time before that AND the time before that!" The frustrated scientist retorted. Although they were in space, the station had already hit a time where most of the civilian personnel and a percentage of the military personnel were retiring to their beds.

This ruckus was only due to Cecil sneaking out of the lab to go explore and play cards with the security chief and his men. It was also this close relationship Cecil had with the Zeon soldiers that made them all the more uncomfortable and guilty when apprehending her.

"You guys should know by now how bored I get in the stupid labs! I especially hate it when you always keep me cooped up in that pod!" She whined as they were brought back into the lab where her pod was located. Cecil always hated floating around inside that thing; all that was left to her inside was her dreams. The beautiful dreams of a young girl's voice speaking to her, telling her things of the outside she never knew. The sparkly blackness of space, and the pretty blue marble in the middle of it all; only in reality, the blackness of space was littered with death. Death that Cecil was being conditioned to contribute to.

As Cecil shed away the towel and gown the soldiers who escorted her there politely looked away as the angry scientist who chastised her began filling out a report on his data pad. As she stepped into the pod she could only wonder what the outside was really like, what kind of people lived outside, and most of all; how she was going to get that pretty blue marble.

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_Nu Station Somewhere near Side 2_

_0400 hours_

_4 hours later_

Lieutenant Keller sighed as he rode alongside the small inconspicuous transport ship with his own Federation Mobile Suit known as the GM command. Officially they were supposed to be reporting to Earth for a rendezvous with General Revil and his combined assault force in anticipation for Operation Odessa. However while en route they accidentally discovered Nu Station and his superior officer Major Gustav recommended that an infiltration team be sent in. The ship's captain reluctantly agreed as he approved the special ops mission to go in and find out what sort of research the Zeon forces were up to.

"Alright this should be far enough, go ahead and disembark Keller, we are headed in." His commanding officer piped up into the comms unit of his mobile suit. Thankfully the Minovsky particles concentration in the area was high so the station wouldn't be able to hear their communications. "Yes sir, I'll keep an eye out for Zaku patrols." Keller said as he let go of the ship and flew to the dark side from which the station was embedded on where he hid laying in wait.

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Gustav sighed as he readied his rifle. It didn't take a genius to know that Keller was frustrated that they weren't on Earth yet. The entire crew on the Hera shared his feelings. Any Federation soldier in space would've more than happily traded their place in outer space if it meant pushing Zeon forces off of Earth.

Now Major Gustav had always been a curious man, it was both his blessing and a curse that had served him well so far in this damn war. In his own personal experience of combat, including the disaster at Loum; He learned that Zeon always had a bad habit of pulling some nasty surprise out of their pockets.

And when they found Zaku II model mobile suits patrolling heavily along their route; he just had to know why.

"Alright guys we are almost at the drop point, ready your jump packs." He said through his space suit's visor. His team members silently acknowledged as they checked each other's flight packs. A bitter silence filled the ship as it slowly nestled itself into the hangar of the station used by both the security forces for their mobile suits and the scientists for their shuttle transports.

_Thank God for false Zeon IFF signals…_ He thought as he led his team deep into the station. Only it wouldn't be long before their mission would start to go awry and he would meet the one person to give himself and his men hope that they would survive the war.

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Cecil's slumber within the pod was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise coming from outside the confines of her liquid blanket. As she opened her eyes she saw a bright red light blaring from the nearest wall as it continued into the hallways. She grinned as her pod suddenly opened causing the foul smelling liquid that kept her in that state of temporary suspended animation spilled out with her along with it.

She vomited and coughed most of the liquid out that had gotten down her throat and briefly rubbed her stomach.

"I hate tasting that stuff…" She mumbled as she looked at the station's alarm and; her exploratory curiosity getting the better of her, she wandered out of the lab searching for the cause of who or what triggered the station's alarm.

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Things had only gone from bad to worse for Gustav and his team as they had been detected by some stroke of rotten luck; a scientist who was going to bed. Before they knew it they found themselves trapped inside a room full of documents and pinned down by Zeon soldiers out in the hall behind them.

"Well shit, what else could go wrong…" He mumbled as no sooner had he said that the Zeon soldiers stopped firing.

"Attention Federation intruders!" Security Chief Krueger called. "Drop your weapons and surrender! I promise that you will be treated in a humane manner befitting soldiers such as yourselves!" Although he couldn't help but worry, how the hell did the Federation find them so far out in space? The intense concentration of Minovsky particles; while making it hard from themselves to communicate with other Zeon forces should have made them almost invisible to Federation detection systems as well! It made him wonder if there was a security breach somewhere or if one of his own men had turned traitor.

It was then that he began to hear footsteps in the hallway to his right. This made him sigh with regret as he knew where that hallway lead and who was coming to them, he hated having her see him like this.

Cecil stepped into the view of Krueger and some of his men looking lost as she looked around. When she saw Krueger she smiled.

"Chief Krueger..? What's going on?" She asked. "Is this another drill?" She said in a soft-almost sleepy tone.

Krueger tried pleading with Cecil as he said. "Please Cecil! You have to get to safety! There are enemy soldiers here and they are very dangerous!'

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Cecil looked to where Krueger and his men were looking into the documents room where some of the scientists kept experimental data on her. Enemy soldiers? Dangerous? She could sense other people inside sure but, to her they didn't seem to be dangerous, moreover they almost seemed kind of scared. They didn't seem to be hurting anyone as far as she could tell.

"Hello? Federation soldiers?" She called but heard only silence as no one responded. She looked at the horrified Chief Krueger as every ounce of him told her to not go inside the room. She always liked the chief amongst all the soldiers in Nu station. He had always treated her as he said "like his own child." Although he had told her that, she was very unfamiliar with the concept of a family. All her short life that had known for the past several months since she was created, all she had ever known was the cold, dark yet almost mechanically lively halls of the station. And as much as she secretly didn't want to admit it, despite her friendship with the Zeon soldiers on the station, she never knew fully about the Principality as a whole. She was never given a reason to care as they never told her to. All the scientists ever cared about was gathering data, analyzing her brain, and running her through all those simulations that quickly lost their appeal.

What Cecil always wanted to do was to get out of Nu Station and see the blackness and go to the blue marble that always sparkled in her dreams. And right now these supposed "enemy soldiers" were her only ticket off the station.

"Umm hello Feddies?" She said as she coined the slang term she heard one of Krueger's men say when he described Federation soldiers.

"I'm going to come in now, I know you all are scared but please, don't shoot me." She said although she knew they most likely wouldn't try. With Chief Krueger's pleas echoing in her ears she walked into the room where the intruders were. As she expected they stared at her with shock, horror and disbelief.

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Gustav could only stare at the little girl standing before him with curiosity in her trembling glittering eyes. What was worse was that the girl was naked and soaked in a liquid he could only describe as something that would be used to keep someone in suspended animation. What was worse was that it made her look as if she was a baby, freshly born out of a woman's womb. This made Gustav seriously call into question at what kind of research the Zeon scientists were doing here. He crouched down on one knee as he tried to smile at her.

"Hey there, what's your name?" He asked nicely as he could see his men about to ask him questions on what he was thinking.

The little girl smiled as she nearly whispered. "I'm Cecil, my name is Cecil. What's yours mister?" Where in the hell were this girl's parents? He wondered as his paternal instincts began kicking in. As he looked at his squad mates he saw they were about as horrified as he was. As he looked back at Cecil he noticed she was giving them all a strange look of…pity? Sympathy? Despite the presence of what she should have considered dangerous men with guns in the room she just smiled at them, unafraid and cheerful.

Suddenly feeling as if he was being rude not answering her question he decided to introduce himself. "My name is Gustav, Gustav Meller; can you tell me where your parents are Cecil?" He asked to which she frowned and tilted her head in confusion.

"Parents? I've never really had those." She said which shook Gustav at his core. "I was created here, I'm a Cyber Newtype!" She said with a cheery giggle in her tone. This horrified Gustav even more as he saw that his squad mates shared his feelings. Regardless, he had to get her off this station.

He looked at one of his men and asked. "Rawlings, do we have any extra suits?" The young man quickly nodded as he took one out of his pack and passed it over to him.

"Major it might be a little big on her." He warned as Gustav smiled.

"It's a one size fits all suit anyway." He said and then looked at Cecil. "We are going to get you off this station okay? You're going to come with us." This made Cecil glitter with delight as she gave him a hug.

"Thank you…" She whispered as Rawlings came forward and fitted the suit onto her. Everyone figured what their commander planned to do as they readied their oxygen helmets while Rawlings put Cecil's helmet on her.

Gustav then saw his communications light flashing on his helmet. He answered it as he began to hear Keller's voice. "Major! What's going on in there?! I'm hearing Zeon com chatter go off like mad!" He said as sounds of his GM Command powering up echoed over the radio.

"Calm down Keller we just had a change of plans and need help with the exit. Can you lock onto our position and make a hole?" he asked as he nodded towards his men.

Keller chuckled and said. "Yes sir, I'll keep any Zeon assholes off your backs." A few seconds passed before a loud explosion was heard and screams of the Zeon soldiers outside echoed in the hallway as they were sucked out into space. As Gustav and his team exited he could swear he heard Cecil mumbling her goodbyes to the departed Zeon soldiers.

As they found the transport ship and flew out Keller fired into the hangar destroying the Zaku's that the security forces were using. The blasts caused the station to explode as fuel canisters and ammunition ignited from the weapons fire. Cecil watched from the ship's window almost in awe as her old home exploded.

"This beats those stupid simulations any day…" She mumbled as Gustav looked at her worriedly. It scared him that a child like Cecil was being so casual about war and death as if it was a daily routine to her.

As Keller escorted them back to the ship Cecil was feeling very giddy as she floated around the transport. "Weeeee!" She squealed as she looked at Gustav.

"So Mister Meller, where are we going?" She asked as he caught her and gently placed her down on her feet.

"Well once we leave here we'll be heading for Earth Cecil." He said as her delighted smile grew wide with excitement.

"I get to go to that blue marble?! Awesome!" She cried as she hugged him again as a large ship came into view from the asteroids.

As Cecil looked outside and saw it her eyes went wide with more excitement. "Is t-that a Pegasus-class battleship?!" She asked causing everyone in the ship to wince at how knowledgeable she was on military ships.

"Yes Cecil that is the Hera, which is the ship we'll be going to Earth in." Gustav said knowing he'd have some explaining to do to Captain Tems. As the ship docked aboard in the hangar along with Keller's GM command Cecil filed out along with Gustav and his team.

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"Captain, the GM command and the infiltration team have made it safely back on board." A young woman on a bridge communications console said to a man in the command chair. Captain Jordan Tems sighed with relief as he said. "Good, close up the hangar and let's get the hell out of here, and have Major Gustav report to the bridge for a debriefing."

"Yes sir!" The woman acknowledged and turned back to her console. Jordan Tems was a veteran naval officer in his late twenties. However the war had taken its toll on him as he had a rough grizzled beard on his face; his brown eyes were starting to show signs of stress and slight exhaustion from the near constant dodging of Zeon patrols he had the crew doing in recent weeks. Luckily his coal black hair hadn't shown signs of greying yet, which was a comfort to him as he felt he was not ready to grow old just yet.

Captain Tems had been commanding the Hera ever since the ship first ever rolled off the production line. And since then he had been with its crew through hell and back so far throughout the war. He had a stake in this war as any other Federation soldier did, as his wife and son were living at their home on a colony back at Side 1. He vowed to himself that he'd survive the war and return home to them as the proud husband his wife fell in love with and the hero he wanted his son to perceive him to be. As the doors to the bridge opened he saw Major Gustav Meller walking in with what looked to be a child tagging along at his side. Jordan's eyes furrowed as he glared at Gustav as his company commander saluted. Something was up and he needed to find out what.

"At ease Major! What the hell happened out there Major and who is that kid with you?!" He said demanding an explanation he knew that Gustav would give.

"We infiltrated the facility successfully sir, but we were detected by security before we could gather much intel; however we found, or rather to be more specific, this little girl found us and we extracted her from the station." He said calmly as Jordan's glare grew more intense.

Cecil stepped forward with a bright smile creasing her lips as she said as she gave her own salute. "Thank you for bringing me aboard Captain! My name is Cecil and I'm a Cyber Newtype!"

Jordan clenched his fists tightly as his eyes went wide with horror. "Major she's a Zeon lab rat!" As Gustav tried to explain Jordan pointed towards the door.

"Get this dirty Zeon spy off my ship!" He yelled as before Cecil could protest Gustav grabbed her hand and walked off the bridge.

As he quickly walked down to the crew quarters passing crew mates who were giving him and Cecil surprised and curious looks. He opened a door to an empty unused bedroom with some crates inside.

"Why was the Captain so mean to you? I don't understand he felt more scared than angry." Cecil asked as Gustav looked down into the girls sad trembling azure eyes.

He patted her head as he said reassuringly. "He just doesn't want something bad happen to the ship or its crew; we have kind of been through a lot throughout this war." Cecil smiled and nodded relieved that the Captain wasn't being mean to her new friend Gustav because he didn't like him.

As Gustav showed her around inside the room he told her. "Okay Cecil you can stay in here but try not to get into trouble okay?" The little girl quickly nodded with a smile and watched him leave.

As Gustav left Cecil's new room one of the crewmates; a young auburn-haired woman who was barely almost twenty years old walked towards him with a concerned look on her face.

"Major? What's going on? Who is that girl some of the others saw with you?" She said as she stared at him.

Gustav sighed as he looked at her. "I'll explain later Lemelia; right now I need you to watch over her while I talk with Captain Tems." Lemelia nodded as she watched him walk away and then turned towards the room now belonging to the new girl on the ship.

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Cecil sighed, content with her new surroundings as she took off the space suit Gustav gave her. She wasn't prepared for the sudden chill that hit her body afterwards as she shivered.

"Totally beats Nu Station…" She mumbled and sat in the corner curling up in a ball as she hugged her legs with worries of the other crew members not accepting her wracking her mind. It was in that moment that her life with the Federation military began.

**Hey guys! This is just to help keep me in the swing of things for my stories. This is a future project I'll be working on while I work on my others so let me know what you guys think and I'll turn this into a full fledged story!**


	2. Chapter 2: Cecil's First Flight

Lemelia walked into Cecil's room to find the suit she had been wearing on the floor and the girl herself curled up in the corner gazing at her as she saw her walk into the room. The Ensign wasn't sure how to respond to the sight as she stared at Cecil for a moment. Finally; after an awkward moment of silence she said.

"You…You look like you need some clothes." Cecil stared at her for a while and it seemed that the child was seeing right through her and staring directly into Lemelia's soul. It made the girl shiver nervously as the child finally gave her a warm smile. "Yes please…it's very cold here…" She whispered and then hid her face.

Lemelia nodded as she noticed signs that the girl before her had been covered in some weird type of liquid. She made a note to grab a towel to clean her off while she fetched her some clothes. It was then as she told Cecil that she would return that she realized.

"How am I going to find kids clothes on a military ship?" She wondered aloud and continued running to her own quarters and began rooting through her own personal belongings. Finally she took out a long lavender dress fit for a child, some leather shorts, and combat boots. For a moment she thought about her cousin who she initially bought the dress for back on Side 2. She had thought about bringing it to her as a gift during their next shore leave there.

"I'll just have to get her a different gift unfortunately; I need to get that girl these clothes now." She said as she swiped them and made sure to grab a towel out from her bath supplies. For a moment she felt a warmth rise up in her cheeks as she realized what she was doing. "It's like I have a little sister now…!" She mumbled and walked out of her quarters back towards Cecil's room.

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Captain Jordan Tems stood alongside Major Gustav Meller in the hangar bay as they both stared up at a large mobile suit standing idle away from the two GM mobile suits that both Keller Norm and Gustav himself piloted. This mobile suit carried a different face plate adorned with green diamond-like eyes as its main cameras as above it was a hexagonal plate with a white point extending out on each side. Ever since it was delivered to them 3 months ago from the supply officers at Jaburo they were told to find a pilot for it. The only problem is, the only pilots they had among the crew were Gustav and Keller and they already had the GM's.

"From the data that those Anaheim eggheads gave us the Gundam unit 8 is a magnificent machine, now if only we were able to put it to use." The captain sighed as they stared up at it.

"I'm inclined to agree with them sir, the new gundam units are the biggest revolutionary weapon in the Federation military, hell there's been talk from our boys on Earth saying that the pilot of the Gundam unit the White Base crew has is giving the Red Comet a run for his money." Gustav muttered as the ship's captain nodded in agreement.

"I'm not going to deny that Major Meller, that's why I've been so insistent on finding a pilot for this one as soon as possible." He said as he sighed. "Who knows, maybe when we get to Earth someone will come and volunteer to be the Gundam's pilot."

As the two left the hangar bay Gustav could only wonder what they were going to do about Cecil. Sure she may be a Cyber Newtype; as skeptical as he'd always been of the word. Although so far in his military career, he had seen many Zeon pilots do incredible things in their mobile suits that put many Federation ace fighter pilots to shame. Despite all that however; Cecil was still physically a child, and Gustav felt that a child should never know things about war that she knew. He clenched his fists in anger at the heartless scientists who dared steal away Cecil's chances at having an innocent playful childhood.

_I'll have to think of something to get for her once we hit Earth…_ He thought as he stepped into his quarters and began writing in his journal deciding on what he could do for Cecil once they reached Africa.

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_2 hours later…_

_Musai-class battleship "Silver Spear"_

_Nu Station Investigation_

A Zeon Musai-class battleship drifted close to the remains of what was once Nu Station. Among them was a squad of Zaku II model mobile suits that had launched from its hangar bays inspecting the place had been once been filled with brave and loyal Zeon soldiers and scientists. With these Zaku's was a customized one emblazoned in silver coating on its armor as well as a thin horn-like notch on the top of its head signifying that it was the leader.

Its pilot however didn't feel very commanding as he looked around the charred remains. His unit had been on patrol for any Federation ships trying to escape Zeon lines for Earth for weeks now with no results. The tedious monotony was dawning on him as he carried an expression of boredom on his face.

"15 weeks with no action and when we finally catch a damn distress signal the Feddies have already left…" He said as he sighed with frustration. He knew though as he had seen signs of beam damage on the station that whoever did this had to be somewhere nearby. It was then that he got his answer.

"Lieutenant Tremaris! We've detected a Pegasus-class Federation ship 3 clicks south of here! They are making a bee-line towards the Earth!" He had heard the ship's captain say as his face appeared on screen. Zen Tremaris seemed to grin, finally relieved that they were going to see some action he said.

"That isn't too far away, I'll take my squad and go slow it down." He said as he relished the thought of taking revenge on the Federation soldiers that did this cowardly hit-and-run raid on his fellow spacenoids.

"Roger that Lieutenant, I'll bring the ship along and back you up." The captain said as his face vanished from Zen's screen. Zen rallied his fellow pilots and they all began their dash on the hunt for the escaping ship. He smiled as he almost pitied the poor Feddie scum and their crappy luck at getting caught by 1st Lieutenant Zen Tremaris, otherwise known to his comrades as the Silver Flash.

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As Cecil was cleaned off and given the clothes that Lemelia found for her she stared at the dress for a moment. The color and the softness to the fabric felt and looked so new to Cecil, it certainly looked much prettier than those bland grey gowns and that suit they always made her wear back in the labs. Sensing the nervousness on the older girl's face behind her Cecil quickly tried on the clothes as the dress easily slid onto her own skinny frame. It was then that she put on the boots and got on one knee beginning to lace them as she remembered seeing the Zeon soldiers back at Nu Station do. This surprised Lemelia as she watched her.

"How did you learn how to do that?" She asked curiously as Cecil looked up at her and smiled.

"Back on the station, any time I'd get out of the labs the soldiers there always let me spend some time with them before I would get carted back to the labs." Cecil said as she finished lacing the boots and stood up. Lemelia's eyes went wide when Cecil mentioned the labs. Cecil quickly bit her tongue for mentioning it as she realized that the whole crew didn't know that she was a Cyber Newtype.

"Oh um….I'm a Cyber Newtype…" Cecil explained as her face flushed with embarrassment. It wasn't every day that anyone in the Federation would meet one of Zeon's dirty little secrets face to face.

Lemelia was quiet for a moment as Cecil stood there nervously hoping that her new friend wouldn't reject her for being different. Finally Lemelia looked at her and said.

"So that means you are like one of those big ace pilots then huh?" Cecil slowly nodded as she saw Lemelia begin to slowly smile at her.

"It's a good thing you are with us then! How anyone could keep such an adorable little girl like you locked away in a place like that is beyond me!" She said as another blush rose to Cecil's cheeks. She had never heard anyone but some of the Zeon soldiers call her that before. She liked it; it always made her feel happy to hear herself being called that.

Lemelia smiled as she began to caress the top of Cecil's head as she gave her a warm smile. "My name is Lemelia, Lemelia Norm, what's yours?" She asked as Cecil was overcome with new feelings she hadn't felt before. Her eyes seemed to glitter as she stared up at Lemelia.

"I'm Cecil!" She said with a cheerful spark in her voice. However the happy mood was short lived as all of the sudden the ship shook and the alarm began ringing.

"We are under attack by pursuing Zeon forces! Major Meller and Lieutenant Norm! Get to the hangar bay and be ready for launch in both of your GM units!" She heard Captain Tems yelling over the intercom. Cecil was surprised and frightened. It seemed as though during the raid on Nu Station they were able to get a distress signal out in time before the GM pilot that covered their escape blew the place apart. Now the Hera and its crew were in danger because of her.

"Stay here okay Cecil? I'll be on the bridge if you need anything, don't be scared." Lemelia said reassuringly and quickly ran out of the room going towards the bridge.

Cecil paced back and forth trying to decide on what to do. As she noticed the window peering outside she looked through it and saw a Musai-class cruiser in the distance. She could also see several Zaku's hovering closer towards them taking shots at the ship. For a moment she believed that both Gustav and Lieutenant Norm who she assumed to be Lemelia's brother would be able to handle the Zaku's. Unfortunately that was when she saw the custom Zaku II who she assumed to be the squad commander.

"Oh no…I have to get out there and help them..!" Cecil said as she sprinted out of her room towards the hangar bay. She figured that with a Pegasus-class ship like the Hera, there were bound to be extra mobile suits.

However she didn't expect what she saw next when she arrived in the hangar bay. Its armor was emblazoned in black and white with the Federation insignia on its chest. The faceplate looked much more different than the GM's she saw Lieutenant Norm pilot and the one she saw in the hangar when she first arrived with Gustav and his team. It was only when she recognized the V shaped fin above the faceplate that she recognized what it was.

"A Gundam…!" She gasped in awe; she remembered seeing a Federation Gundam unit in one of the simulations that the doctors put her through back on Nu Station. And even then the data for it was based on the limited data they had received on the "White Devil" which had been the stuff of nightmares for many of the soldiers on the station. Cecil however was fascinated with it, and for a while she had dreamed of getting into the real cockpit of one.

And now here was one standing idle in front of her. As it stood there with its thick looking armor, a large shield on one arm and its large backpack for increased thrust output she felt an urge to drool over such a beautiful machine. As the ship shook again from another blast sending her floating off her feet due to the lack of gravity in space she remembered why she needed it.

She quickly struggled to reclaim her center of gravity and used the momentum to shoot herself towards the mobile suit's cockpit. As she grabbed hold onto the maintenance platform beside it she saw a panel she assumed was for opening the cockpit itself. Sure enough, as soon as she pressed the switch the torso cockpit opened; allowing her free entry. As she looked around she saw that all of the maintenance crews were pre-occupied with their emergency duties for the battle outside.

As she got comfortable in the seat she suddenly came to the realization that this was the first time she was piloting a mobile suit outside of a simulation. In that moment she felt spoiled at the amazingly good fortune that had been placed on her. She looked around at the controls as they became quickly familiar to her and she began to activate the Gundam's systems. It was then she heard yelling outside and sounds of knocking on the cockpit.

"Who's in there?!" the voice called. "Get out of that mobile suit right now!" Cecil could only blush as she activated the Gundam's main cameras seeing that one of the maintenance crew members was outside on the platform she was just on banging on the cockpit.

_Uh-oh, looks like I'm in trouble again! _She thought as she chuckled. As all of the Gundam's systems finished coming online she said to the man.

"Don't worry! I'm just borrowing this for a little bit! Please move though!" She said as she began to slowly nudge the movement controls. Naturally the man complied and the platform moved out of her way. She quickly spied the launch catapult that the two GM's more than likely used and stepped towards it. As she felt the feet of the mobile suit lock into place of the catapult she saw a counter appear on her screen. Cecil giggled as she readied the backpack thrusters of the gundam and called out.

"I'm launching in the gundam!" She said in a joyful tone seeing the hangar bay doors opening before she was launched out into the darkness of space and into the fires of battle.

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_Meanwhile…_

_Hera Command Bridge_

_Same time as Cecil stealing the Gundam_

Captain Tems couldn't believe his rotten luck. He had been sure they remained undetected within Zeon territory as they made their way towards Earth. Now they were being chased by a Musai cruiser and a full complement of Zaku's blasting holes at the ship's hull.

"Enemy resistance is too intense Captain! I'm not sure how much longer Major Meller and Lieutenant Norm can last out there!" He heard one of his bridge officers say as the man was looking over the readings of both Keller's GM command and Gustav's GM Striker. It was true; the fight going on out there did not seem to be going well in their favor. And to make matters worse, the "Silver Flash" was commanding those Zaku's.

The "Silver Flash" had become a thing of nightmares for Federation soldiers and ships as his fast and brutal skills as a mobile suit pilot put him on par with the legendary Red Comet. Captain Tems knew it was only a matter of time before those Zaku's starting coming for the ship and crew next.

"Captain I'm detecting a mobile suit launch from the hangar! It's the Gundam!" Captain Tems's eyes went wide with horror.

"Try to contact who in the hell took it! That's Federation military property!" He ordered as ensign Norm piped up.

"Captain the Gundam is engaging the Zaku's!" He looked at her in surprise and then looked back towards the battle.

"Hold off on communications until after the battle, at the very least whoever the hell took the unit 8 is saving our asses." He ordered and sighed putting his hand against the visor of his space suit. What else could go wrong?

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Zen stood locked in a clash against the GM Striker as his men fought the GM command. He had to admit, for Feddies who were currently outnumbered and outgunned, they were putting up an impressive fight. Still, he knew he was winning as he kicked the GM Striker into an asteroid. Just as he equipped his Zaku's Heat Hawk he heard one of his men screaming. When he turned around he saw one of the Zaku's in his squad had been riddled full of holes before it exploded.

"Vulcan guns!? Where did those shots come from!?" He yelled as an alarm sounded on his radar specifying a new enemy unit was approaching.

"Lieutenant it's a Gundam! They've got a Gundam unit-AGGHHH!" He heard one of his subordinates crying out before another burst of fully automatic vulcan weaponry silenced him. As he looked up he saw the Gundam flying straight at them. From the chatter he heard from the two Federation pilots they had cornered they were just as surprised as he was. Zen felt a chill wash over him as he trembled with excitement.

He had heard the stories of the "White Devil" and how it had wreaked havoc with Zeon forces. Most grunts would be too terrified or so damned overconfident at facing the thing they'd get themselves killed before they even got the chance. He put away his heat hawk and took out his machine gun reloading it.

"Sergeant Vaan! Keep those two other pilots busy!" He ordered as a grin came across his face.

"I'll take on that Gundam…" He said as his subordinate complied and joined what remained of his squad. Zen fired up the boosters in his Zaku's backpack and dashed towards the Gundam. "Now let's test what kind of capabilities that Gundam has…"

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Cecil was slightly surprised that the silver Zaku decided to take her on alone after she had already destroyed two of the Zaku's in his squad with her vulcan guns. She had been unfortunately forced to make do with the vulcan guns and the beam saber since it seemed as if all the mobile suit's weapons hadn't been fully equipped onto the Gundam yet. However that was just fine with Cecil, scenarios like this were second nature to her as within simulations alone she was able to wipe out an entire Federation fleet in a standard Zaku 1 with only a heat hawk.

As the Zaku fired its machine gun at her a bell seemed to ring in Cecil's mind. "That sound…could this guy be…? No there's no way…" She mumbled as she weaved around the shots firing another burst of the vulcan guns only for the Zaku to block them with its shield on its arm. Cecil smiled as she dashed at the Zaku with her own shield hoping to smash its mono eye main camera and blind it.

However when she made her move and thrust the shield at her enemy she saw that he had vanished, Cecil's eyes went wide as she looked around only to see the silver Zaku for a split second before she felt the gundam get hit from the Zaku's kick. "Too slow Gundam!" The enemy pilot yelled. Cecil winced as the hit impacted the gundam's chest. It was in that moment that she smiled.

She laughed as she cried. "This is fun! Don't think because your fast means you're a better pilot!" and grabbed hold of the Zaku's leg and began spinning around. She then let the Zaku go sending it hurtling and spinning out of control. She heard the pilot swearing under his breath as the Zaku pulled out its heat hawk.

"I'm not going to lose here Feddie scum!" he yelled and dashed towards her. Cecil giggled to herself in a cheery tone as she looked through her weapons controls until she found it.

"There's the beam saber!" She said as she equipped the Gundam's beam saber in hand just in time to stop the Zaku's swing of its heat hawk causing the two blades to clash. She grinned happily as sparks of energy were released from their weapons blades.

"This is for hurting my friend's mister!" She said and fired the vulcan guns as it peppered the custom Zaku's armor which was enough to disorient it and the pilot.

"You lose!" She said and with a single swing of her beam saber, she cut away the Zaku's weapon arm holding the heat hawk. She giggled as she heard the pilot's cry of surprise.

"Damnit! This isn't over yet Gundam!" He cried and began dashing towards her again only for him to stop.

"A retreat?! Now!?" He said and growled under his breath. The silver Zaku seemed to glare at her before turning away and leaving with its subordinate Zaku's. Cecil giggled happily as she watched them leave.

"Yeah! I did it!" She said as the GM command and GM Striker surrounded her with weapons at the ready. That was when she remembered her situation as the Hera moved closer behind her.

"Attention pilot! Surrender the Gundam immediately! That is Federation property! Identify yourself now!" Cecil blushed, well now it was time to face everyone's judgment. She answered their communications as she saw Gustav, Lieutenant Norm, and Captain Tems's face appear on screen. As she waved and smiled she heard their cries of shock. She hoped they wouldn't be too upset.


	3. Chapter 3: Descent into the Marble

Zen Tremaris stared up at his newly repaired Zaku as thoughts of his skirmish with the Gundam unit left him reeling with sweat. Just who the hell was that pilot? From the voice he had heard on the enemy communications he knew the pilot was female; but her skills were like nothing he had ever seen in his life. The way she moved around his attacks and the way it almost seemed as if she had been toying with him until the end. The insult made him clench his fists in frustration.

"Lieutenant Tremaris! Colonel Rezesh has arrived" He heard one of his subordinates say as he looked up and saw a tall muscular older man walking towards him flanked by two subordinates on each side as they seemed to be surveying the hangar. He grinned as Zen immediately stood at attention and saluted.

"Welcome aboard the Silver Spear Colonel Rezesh, I'm-"He said before the older man returned his salute and patted him on the shoulder.

"I already know who you are Lieutenant! Any officer from high command would have to be an idiot not to know who the legendary Silver Flash is!" He said and let out a hearty laugh. It was then Zen noticed the massive amount of supplies being loaded in from the Colonel's ship as well as a strange giant mobile armor he had never seen before.

Colonel Rezesh quickly noticed his surprise and grinned as he asked, "What do you think Lieutenant? It is to be the replacement for the MA-05 Bigro, straight off the production line at Granada and in its final phases of testing." Zen stared at the pitched green triangular mobile armor in awe, _those eggheads at Granada sure know what they are doing…_He thought as he looked at the Colonel. "It looks like a beautiful machine sir."

He grinned with pride as he looked at the mobile armor. "So my officers told me of your recent battle with a Gundam unit, and that it was onboard a Federation ship that destroyed one of our science facilities." He said; his tone more serious as he looked out at space.

Zen nodded as he looked at his Zaku, "Yes sir, whoever they chose to pilot that machine is an impressive one, I regretfully say that she killed two of my men and managed to damage my own Zaku before we were forced to retreat." Colonel Rezesh nodded as he listened to Zen's explanation of what happened after the destruction of Nu Station.

When he finished the Colonel gave a wide smile. "A female ace pilot huh….sounds interesting, fear not Lieutenant, with this new mobile armor, the MA-06 Val Walo, I shall crush any of those fools in its claws!"

Zen looked at the Colonel, surprised that one of his superior officers had been picked to be the new weapon's test pilot. Colonel Rezesh then looked at him and asked.

"What were the last known coordinates of that ship?" Zen remembered the reconnaissance reports tracking the Pegasus-class vessel as he responded. "Its last known coordinates puts it at heading towards Earth at a rapid speed sir."

The Colonel smiled wide and gave another hearty laugh. "Excellent! We'll move ahead and cut them off before they reach Earth's gravity well!" Zen nodded as the Colonel left to prepare his soldiers and Zen returned to his duties preparing his men as well with strange thoughts of the enemy pilot in his mind. "It was as if she was playing a game…." He mumbled.

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Cecil sat curled up on the bed in her room wracked with worry, the whole crew was shocked when they saw her piloting the Gundam unit 8 and rescuing both Lieutenant Norm and Gustav from the Zeon pursuit forces. Unfortunately that stirred up a lot of talk around the ship as now Gustav was being reprimanded by Captain Tems for not ordering guards to keep watch over the Gundam.

It was then that she heard the door open and a young man in an officer's uniform stepped in. With his blue eyes and auburn hair he almost looked handsome aside from the smell of sweat permeating from him. He looked over at Cecil with indifference giving her up and down looks. Something about him reminded her of Lemelia.

"So you're the kid that Major Meller extracted out of that station, and by the sound of things you are also the one who stole the unit 8 to come save us as well." He said as he looked in her eyes before sitting down on one of the crates in the room. Cecil stared at him feeling frightened that he was a drop-dead Federation officer who hated everything about Zeon, including the little monsters they make in test tubes. She wasn't about to let him see her afraid though as she gazed into his eyes defiantly.

Finally he chuckled and held up his hands in defeat, "Whoa don't worry kid I'm no long winded loudmouth like Captain Tems, I'm Keller Norm, I was the one in the GM Command who covered you're escape when Major Meller brought you back to the ship." Cecil finally relaxed as she smiled at him.

"So you are Cecil right? My sister Lemelia told me about you." He asked as she nodded politely before staring at him intently. If he was related to Lemelia and friends with Gustav, then he was her friend too!

"Nice to meet you Lieutenant Keller Norm you have some amazing piloting skills!" She said taking his hand into hers and awkwardly shaking it. Keller chuckled scratching his head.

"Ah c'mon now you are just trying to butter me up! I'm an 'alright' mobile suit pilot; I don't consider myself the best, at least not to the standard of Major Meller or you." He said as had an bashful grin on his face. Cecil giggled at him; She knew that her and Keller were going to get along just fine.

"It was all in my training!" She said cheerfully as Keller stopped and looked at her curiously. Keller knew Cecil had been in the station for a reason when Gustav had his team extract her, as well as word spreading around the ship that Cecil was an escaped Zeon lab-rat. At first he was skeptical but after hearing what the little girl had just said, perhaps those rumors were true.

"So you are like one of those big Newtype ace pilots huh?" He asked as she nodded as she was acting disturbingly forthcoming with what she was.

"Cyber-Newtype actually, I wasn't born naturally like regular Newtypes, Nu station was where I was created." She said making Keller's eyes widen in shock and disbelief. Before he could ask more questions though, the door opened and Gustav walked in. Keller immediately stood at attention saluting him.

"At ease Keller this isn't a random crew inspection." He said as he looked over at Cecil. It was tough being able to convince the Captain to let her keep the Gundam however he finally relented and allowed him to take the child out on her own training mission and to put the unit 8 through its paces as they got closer to Earth. Time was unfortunately running short, they had to get to Africa and rendezvous with General Revil's assault force as soon as possible in time for Operation Odessa. Thankfully the engineers were able to get some of the unit 8's weapons equipped onto it so Cecil wouldn't be flying into combat relying only on her shield, Vulcan guns and beam saber.

"Cecil, I talked with the Captain and it looks like you have been chosen as the gundam's pilot. However" He said as Cecil started beaming with excitement at the chance of getting back in the unit 8.

"You'll be coming with me so we can finally put the unit 8 through its paces in space." That was when Keller stood up from the crate in protest.

"But Major, we are so close to Earth! Isn't a training mission now a bit unnecessary for Cecil? I mean the both of us can vouch for her skills in what she did for us during the last battle!" He said as Gustav stopped him and sighed.

"I know I know Lieutenant Norm, but the Gundam wasn't equipped with its full weaponry last time and with the trouble we've had in finding a suitable pilot up until now has left us unable to really test the unit 8 so Captain Tems wants it done ASAP." He said as he looked over at Cecil seeing her nearly jumping happily all over the bed with joy. He smiled as he gave her a pilot's suit.

"Change into that, you'll need it during combat, especially during space operations." He said as Cecil held it gingerly in her arms feeling the material on it.

"Thanks Gustav! I'll be right out!" She told him as Gustav smiled walking out with Keller. Lemelia walked in past them to help Cecil put on the suit.

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Captain Tems sighed with relief as he stared at the planet Earth on the bridge's view screens. Despite the crew having remained on secondary alert after the enemy's retreat yesterday it was still a relief to see humanity's home planet in all its beauty. The thought of the brave men and women still fighting on Earth against invading Zeon forces left a bad taste in his mouth. Although he knew that soon he and his crew would be joining them with a fully functional Gundam unit at their disposal. The horrible irony of that was the perfect pilot they were looking for turned out to be a Zeon experimental lab-rat that his company commander brought onboard. He certainly couldn't deny the results she brought though after saving them.

"GM Striker and the unit 8 are launching now Captain, Major Meller has commenced the training mission for the unit 8's pilot. There are no signs of any Zeon forces in the area." He heard one of his bridge operators say. That certainly was an even bigger relief. Things seemed to be going smoothly for the moment.

However it wasn't long before the alarms began to sound. "What's going on?!" he demanded as he checked the bridge's view screens hoping to spot something before one of his operators piped up.

"Massive Minovsky particle density increase sir! Looks like two Musai-class cruisers and a large collection of blips heading our way! They seem to be mobile suits escorting a mobile armor Captain!" Jordan's eyes went wide with horror. A mobile armor meant very bad news, if it got close to the Hera it had the weaponry to easily cripple or obliterate the ship and send it into the planet's gravity well where they would all burn to a crisp.

"Dispense Minovsky particles! Ready the crew to battle stations for combat! Have the anti-air guns at the ready!" He ordered as the bridge became abuzz with activity again. Jordan sighed as he took off his officer's hat and placed his hand on his forehead. Just when things were going so smoothly Zeon had to rear its ugly head….

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Cecil had never felt so giddy flying around alongside Gustav after finding out that the Unit 8 now had a Hyper Bazooka and Hyper Beam Rifle equipped onto it. As they had first set out on the training mission to fully test the Gundam's performance the urge to use her new weapons was almost overpowering. Before she could however that was when they saw the large squad of Zaku's firing at them. With the beautiful blue marble called Earth that she had only dreamed of for most of her life so close within her reach she wasn't about to let a bunch of Zaku's take that away from her.

Gustav wasted no time engaging in combat with the Zaku's as Cecil activated the customized sturm boosters on the unit 8's backpack dashing backwards and pulled out the beam rifle taking aim and pulled the trigger as the deadly beam cut through two enemy Zaku's at once.

"It's even more effective than in the simulation battles!" She said laughing happily as she weaved around the attacking squad's focused machine gun fire and managing to destroy 4 more Zaku's. She started to spin around firing her vulcan guns and sending the remaining Zaku's going for cover trying to dodge her shots. _This is the most fun I've ever had in a while! _She thought as suddenly she heard that familiar raindrop in her mind. She smiled happily as she turned around, she knew who was coming. And she was ready for round 2.

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Gustav could only watch as he fired his own beam weapon to keep the Zaku's at bay. The chatter he was hearing from Cecil as well as the way she was piloting the Gundam felt absolutely frightening to him. The fact that a little girl had been taught so much about war when she should've had her childhood made his blood run cold. _That tears it; I'll see to it that Cecil has her childhood come hell or high water. _He thought as the alarms in his cockpit began to sound showing new enemy units were approaching.

"Gustav watch out!" He heard Cecil cry out in alarm as he turned around seeing a large triangular mobile armor speeding towards him as claws slid out from its underbelly. He barely dodged its mega particle beam as he saw the hulking powerhouse of a machine speed past him and begin to turn around for another pass. It was then that he saw Keller coming in with his GM Command.

"What the hell is that thing?! Is it some kind of new Bigro?!" He yelled as the mobile armor attempted to make a pass at him as well firing off its weaponry as it passed.

"Hahahahahahaa! You fools can't stand up against the Val Walo!" He heard the enemy pilot bellowing over comms as he saw Cecil engaging the silver Zaku from yesterday. Gustav knew that there was a high likelihood that the enemy mobile armor pilot would try going for the gundam next while Cecil was occupied fighting the Silver Flash. He had to make a decision, as he knew against just the Zaku Cecil could handle herself so he decided to go help Keller, hoping he could lure the mobile armor away and destroy it somehow.

"Flank it from the sides Keller!" He ordered as they each got to the left and right flanks of the mobile armor shooting at it trying to penetrate its armor. However instead of outmaneuvering them it seemed to corkscrew its way into a turn heading straight towards him. The next thing Gustav knew he felt a loud slam and sounds of groaning as his GM Striker was caught in one of the mobile armor's claws and began crushing the torso.

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Cecil felt it happen before she heard Keller say it over the communications channel. Whoever was piloting that mobile armor had Gustav and was going to kill him. She trembled; feeling pressure in her chest she hadn't felt before.

"I've got to destroy that mobile armor and save him…" She whispered as she kicked the Silver Zaku out of the clash they had been locked in and turned beginning to speed towards the Val Walo as it flew around holding Gustav's GM Striker in its claw like a predator with a trophy.

"Oh I'm not through with you yet Gundam!" She heard the Silver Zaku's pilot say as she turned to the side barely dodging a bazooka shell. Cecil bit her lip as her hands trembled and sweat flowed down her cheek. The feelings and sensations she was getting from that pilot were so strange; ones she felt were extraordinarily familiar. "There's no way…I'll have to find out for myself later…" She whispered and took out her own hyper bazooka firing at him as he dodged the shots backing off for the moment.

As she got closer the mobile armor began firing its missiles and beam weapons at her. Cecil could only dodge and weave through the energy bursts as she heard the pilot laughing.

"Try what you will Gundam! You won't be able to defeat me!" She heard him bellowing only for her he only came through as a loud ringing that made her wince. She felt her fingers trembling on the controls as she locked onto the claw that was holding Gustav. Keller was right, this new mobile armor behaved like a Bigro only with increased speed and better weaponry, and its pilot seemed adequately skilled as well; however to Cecil, it was just a bigger Bigro. And it'd explode the same as anything else.

"Let go of Gustav!" She cried as she flew under the path of the mobile armor and then as it moved to meet her she immediately changed direction and sped upwards into the reach of its claws. She gritted her teeth in anger as she put away the bazooka and equipped the beam saber. Her mind ignored the enemy pilot's bellowing taunts as she moved closer and closer beginning her attack. Just as she expected; her beam saber met its mark as the pink colored energy blade cut through the grey retractable claw arm as if it was butter freeing Gustav as a result.

"Gustav are you alright?!" She cried as Gustav was able to free himself from the dead claw. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the distorted mess at the GM Striker's torso. A few seconds longer and Gustav himself would have been killed and his mobile suit would have been clipped in half. As tears began filling Cecil's eyes hearing Keller calling out to him as well they both heard his groaning voice.

"I'm alright! I'm alright! I'm messed up pretty bad though!" He said as he sounded as if he was in pain. Cecil sighed in relief as the Val Walo turned around for another pass heading straight towards her.

"Don't think you have won yet you ignorant whelp!" The enemy pilot yelled as he fired his mega particle cannon only for Cecil to dodge it with ease. It was then that she heard the cockpit alarms alerting her to more danger. As she turned she saw a Musai-cruiser firing at her.

"Blast the Gundam back to hell!" She heard the mobile armor pilot order his comrades as he renewed his attack on her in earnest. Cecil could only grin as she blocked and dodged the incoming fire. "A mobile armor AND a cruiser versus one mobile suit? I love those odds!" She said as she focused on the Musai first taking out her hyper beam rifle beginning to target particular sections of the ship. First the hangar, then the engines, and finally the bridge which sent the ship drifting away in a raging inferno as it exploded falling to pieces.

"You will pay for that you god damn monster!" She heard the angry mobile armor pilot say as he sped towards her. As she put away her rifle and pulled out her bazooka she winced as the mobile armor rammed into her as it tried to drag her along from the collision. As Cecil saw that her bazooka had been knocked away she heard him laughing. "You think that was going to stop me?! You disappoint me Gundam!" He said as Cecil could only cling to the front of the main body buying herself some time. It was then she located where she guessed the main camera and cockpit were located.

"You thought I was going to try getting you with the bazooka?" She asked as her eyes became wide with rage while giggling. This man had to pay for hurting one of her friends. This man HAD to die.

"Well THINK AGAIN!" She roared and equipped the beam saber and stabbed into the main cockpit. She only had a couple of seconds before she let go and the Val Walo exploded in a fireball. As she collected her bazooka she saw that Keller had taken Gustav back to the ship and they were beginning to enter the atmosphere as the remaining Zaku's retreated. As she sighed with relief and began flying towards the ship she turned to block a slash from the silver Zaku's heat hawk.

"This battle isn't over until one of us dies Gundam!" She heard her rival yell out. Cecil winced as her surroundings began turning red and the temperature began climbing inside the mobile suit. This guy was so stubborn! Cecil growled in anger.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" She roared as she broke the clash and began to go for a attack until she heard Lemelia's voice.

"Unit 8 get back to the ship quickly! If you don't we will all be burnt up in the atmosphere!" She said with terror in her voice and worry for Cecil's safety. As she saw the Zaku back off she had no choice but to return to the ship, landing in the hangar bay allowing for the Hera and her crew to safely arrive through the atmosphere.

As Gustav rested in the Med-bay and Cecil had changed out of her pilot's suit she stared out the viewing window in awe. It almost seemed as if the water beneath them was sparkling right before her eyes as she saw the big bright and sunny continent they were flying towards.

"Hey Lemelia, where are we going since we are now on Earth?" She looked up at her; her eyes twinkling with curiosity. The older girl smiled with delight feeling as if she was speaking to her new little sister.

"Well our first stop is a continent called Africa where we are going to get resupplied and meet up with friendly forces." She said as Cecil nodded with an "Oooohhh"

As she looked out the window again gazing at the massive desert that was now beneath them she repeated its name. "Af-ri-ca…..it's beautiful…."

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_Meanwhile inside a hidden Zeon base_

A young woman stared out at the African sky from her office adjusting her lab coat that carried her pin showing she was a scientist for the Principality of Zeon and adjusted her glasses she sighed, once again detesting the putrid heat. She took out her personal holo-pad she kept from the Flanagan Institute and checked some data she had written down. Being a scientist in a lab coat, a dark green buttoned up shirt, a dark miniskirt and heels you'd think she had no business being inside a military base. However as she picked up a data chip from her desk she heard the base's alarms sound. She seemed to nod to herself in satisfaction. It seemed as if her intel had been correct on that Federation ship's arrival. As she walked out into the hangar bay coldly passing admirers who checked out her pale grey eyes or her black hair as well as her own womanly features.

She approached the gargantuan-sized mobile armor being kept away from the other mobile suits inside the large massive hangar. It looked as if it was a beast in a deep sleep with its Zaku-like camera head in the middle bowed downwards. As she climbed into the open and terrifyingly eerie cockpit surrounded with strange cables she slid the chip into an open receptacle beneath the pilot's seat installing what was inside as its pilot. As she climbed out she looked at the Zaku head.

"Subject C has arrived within the vicinity, your objective is her retrieval and reconditioning, eliminate everything else that gets in your way is that understood?" She said as the cockpit seemed to light up, the hatch closing on its own as the mono-eye on the Zaku head lit up and seemed to look at her as a distorted voice was heard.

"Understood…" The AI said as the woman cleared away from the mobile armor as it launched with the Desert Corps. It was time that Zeon retrieved its property from the Federation.

"


	4. Chapter 4: The Desert Korps

_Hera Landing Site_

_2 miles outside of Mukammar_

_0300 hours_

_1 day until Operation Odessa deadline_

Cecil was unable to contain her excitement as she couldn't pull away her gaze at the sand when the Hera finally landed. And as the hangar bay doors opened allowing for the bright sun and heat that made the sandy continent so notorious in its history to peek into the inner cool workings of the military ship. That didn't bother Cecil one bit though as this was her first time on Earth. She immediately sprinted outside and down the ramp as the bewildered maintenance crews watched her.

"Whooooaaaaa there's SO much sand out here!" She yelled surveying her new surroundings rapidly causing her to spin in a hyperactive circle. It was then she felt dizzy and tripped over her own feet, falling face first into the soft sand.

"Cecil are you alright?!" She heard Lemelia say as the older girl ran to her aid. As she reached to help her up Cecil immediately rolled over on her back spitting out sand as she stared laughing while flapping her arms patting soft imprints into the sand.

"There's no artificial gravity, there's no artificial sunlight, and even the sand is real! Lemelia it's all seriously real!" She cried hysterically as she continued laughing.

It was then that Lemelia began to giggle and helped Cecil to her feet brushing some sand out of her hair and off of her dress.

"Well of course it's all real silly! I don't think you'd be getting yourself all dirty and covered in sand if it was a simulation! Now come on lets go get you cleaned up; I have a big plan of what you and I can do together~!" She said with a cheerful smile. It was funny but she could see why Major Meller really latched onto this girl, she was so damn innocent and wild you wouldn't even think she was supposed to be a Zeon super weapon; much less a gundam pilot.

Cecil nodded as she swept some beads of sweat away from her face. She quickly stopped and looked at the watery liquid on her fingers and her eyes went wide with fascination.

"Whoooaaaaa! This is my sweat isn't it?! It isn't any of that gross stasis gunk they normally would stuff me in back on Nu Station!" She cried causing Lemelia to let out a chuckle as she escorted the little cyber new type back inside the ship. As they were on their way to Lemelia's quarters Cecil realized something and began to tug on Lemelia's skirt.

"What is it Cecil?" She asked as a delighted smile lay frozen on her lips.

"Can we go to the med bay and visit Gustav? Pleeeaaasseeee?" She said begging as her eyes trembled like she was about to cry.

With a silent cheerful nod Lemelia immediately took the little girl to the infirmary of the ship where within the room was lined with several beds on one side of the room. And at the end of those beds lay Gustav; as he saw them coming in he smiled as he waved. As Lemelia and Cecil stepped towards his bed Cecil immediately plopped down onto his chair next to Gustav's bed with a glittering smile on her face.

"What happened to you little princess?" Gustav asked noticing that Cecil was still covered in sand.

She could only chuckle as she grinned sheepishly. "I ran outside and played in the sand and got all dirty, Lemelia is going to help me clean it all off." Lemelia nodded giggling as she ruffled Cecil's hair.

Gustav could only smile that Cecil; despite her birth she still figured out ways at being a normal child.

_ Then again, its probably very difficult to take the child out of a kid's heart regardless if they came from a woman's womb or not. _He wondered as the ship suddenly shook from an explosion and the alarms began ringing.

Cecil almost fell out of the chair in surprise as she quickly stood up. "It looks like the bath will have to wait!" She said and ran out of the room.

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As Lemelia stood up to go to the bridge she felt Gustav grab her wrist. "Hold on a minute Ensign Norm." He said as he looked out the window; the sounds of gunfire and incoming mobile suits echoing through the glass panes.

"What is it Major?" She asked, surprised when she saw her superior officer look at her with such serious eyes.

"This isn't a direct order but; I want you to promise me, if something happens to me I want you and your brother to take care of Cecil alright? She needs to have some semblance of a normal childhood before she grows up." He said as his hand trembled at the thought of him possibly losing his own life in this war. It sent pangs of sadness through his heart imagining Cecil wandering alone, knowing nothing but the military to be her family and war being the only home she's ever known.

The young woman's eyes went wide as she took in the gravity of what her superior officer was telling her, he was wanting to make Cecil his daughter; however with his wounds he wanted to be sure Cecil had a family to rely on and so he picked her and her brother. She hated the thought of Gustav dying as his words lay heavy on her heart.

It was then she looked at him and nodded saying. "I promise, Keller and I will take care of her."

Gustav smiled with relief nodding to the girl as he let her go watching her leave. He then looked towards the window again watching as the Gundam Unit 8 and a GM Command stood side by side fighting the incoming Zeon assault forces alone.

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"Watch out Cecil there's 2 Zaku's on your left!" Cecil heard Keller tell her over the radio.

"I see them!" She said as she turned towards the two combatants; quickly cutting them down with her beam rifle. She could see Keller fighting more off as rockets sailed over their heads and slammed into the Hera behind them. The ship's crew as well wasting no time in retaliating in firing the ship's cannons only however resulting in minimal success. These guys had full purpose behind their maneuvers, something that was making Cecil feel very wary as she dashed into a river bed slashing through more Zaku's before they got into position to fire their clay bazookas.

Keller stayed at a close distance covering Cecil's back as she shot and slashed through the Desert Zaku's with so much ease it was almost scary. It was then he saw something in the air rapidly approaching her.

"Cecil watch out!" He called out as a new mobile suit dashed down with its own beam saber in hand clashing with hers.

Cecil quickly parried only for the new mobile suit to dodge using its vernier boosters to quickly gain distance from her attacks. It was in that moment that Cecil recognized the fast moving mobile suit as it pulled out a large shotgun.

"That's a Kampfer! Keller get back and keep holding off the Zaku's! I'll take care of this one!" As Keller acknowledged her request she heard the enemy pilot chuckle as he fired a few salvo's from the shotgun at her. Cecil quickly brought up her shield as the scattered bits pounded into it peppering the alloy.

She quickly retaliated with her vulcan guns hoping to disorient her enemy with bullets as she brought out her beam rifle taking aim. As she fired the Kampfer quickly dodged her shot as it dashed in firing its own vulcan guns only slightly peppering the Gundam as Cecil dodged as well.

Cecil had to admit, even though she could tell the enemy pilot wasn't a Newtype, he was still very skilled; and combined with his mobile suit's performance he was barely managing to keep up with the Unit 8 as well as matching Cecil move for move. This made her wonder if all of the pilots in the Zeon terrestrial forces were this skilled despite the fact they had to adapt to Earth's gravity.

After what felt like hours in the current stalemate she was having with the Kampfer she heard the enemy pilot call out to her.

"Hey Gundam pilot, looks like it's a draw for now, I must admit your skills are damn impressive for a Feddie. We'll meet again next time; I'll be looking forward to beating you!" He said as he signaled his men to retreat.

Cecil could only sigh as she took off her helmet and wiped the sweat from her face. "Fighting on Earth is definitely way different than fighting in space." She mumbled and gazed out at the dusty African sand dunes from her cockpit as the sun rose. It was in that moment that Cecil clenched her fist and smiled. Today was going to be a wonderful day.

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The AI that had set out on its mission to recapture Subject C had hid itself among the desert cliffs watching Captain Miguel Erde and his Desert Korps forces battle the Federation forces after the ship had touched down. As it recorded the fighting to its central data memory it paused for a moment as it had noticed the Gundam unit it had classified as the RX78-8. As it replayed the battle in its memory like it was its own movie it scanned the brainwaves of the pilot within finding an exact match to its target.

A soft burst of static was emitted from the sound emitters of the gigantic mobile armor it was possessing as if it was breathing a sigh of relief. It then shifted its glowing mono eye sensor towards the nearby town and analyzed it calculating the total population within as well as its proximity to the Federation ship Subject C now presided in.

The mono eye then went dark as the mobile armor seemed to relax against the shuddering cliffs. As the AI reviewed its new data over and over that was when it began to strategize its assault in engaging Subject C.

** Hey guys I apologize for this being a short one. I've had to deal with family matters lately since it's the holidays and stuff. I'll be sure to do some more work and get some more chapters out tomorrow, until then Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays guys! :D**


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